AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, relative to maximum gross weight of freight motor vehicles.
Summary
HB0770 would amend Tennessee law governing freight motor vehicle weight limits to allow a vehicle with a tridem axle group to operate at a maximum gross vehicle weight of 85,000 pounds, so long as the change is permissible under federal law. The bill also adds a related provision requiring any assessed additional tax on weight for which Tennessee tax has not previously been paid to be remitted to the Department of Revenue within 90 days of assessment.
The measure is aimed at updating Title 55’s vehicle weight rules for heavy freight vehicles operating on Tennessee highways. It would specifically modify both the vehicle registration/tax provisions and the highway weight restriction provisions to create a higher allowable weight threshold for tridem-axle configurations, with an effective date of July 1, 2025.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would change Tennessee’s maximum gross vehicle weight rules for freight motor vehicles with three-axle tridem groups, increasing the allowable limit to 85,000 pounds and aligning the state’s highway and registration statutes with that standard where federal law allows. It would also affect operators subject to Tennessee’s weight-based tax regime by imposing a 90-day deadline to pay any additional assessed tax tied to previously unpaid weight taxes. The practical impact would fall on trucking companies, freight carriers, and vehicle operators using tridem-axle equipment, as well as the Department of Revenue and highway enforcement officials.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill faced significant opposition in committee, as it failed in the House Transportation Subcommittee by a vote of 0 yeas to 9 nays on March 4, 2025. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate support arguments, but the vote outcome indicates the proposal was not well received at that stage.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to be whether Tennessee should raise the allowable gross vehicle weight for tridem-axle freight vehicles to 85,000 pounds. Opponents in the subcommittee were numerous enough to defeat the bill unanimously, suggesting concerns may have included highway wear, safety, enforcement, or consistency with existing weight-limit policy, though no transcript is available to confirm specific objections. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a modernization or freight-efficiency measure, but the record provided does not show any formal support statements.